The Storm between Us

Chapter 12

Amber closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment without moving.

She could still hear the rain outside.

It beat against the windows and roof of the building, creating a steady background noise that somehow made the apartment feel quieter than usual.

Amber looked down at herself.

She was still wearing KJ's hoodie. He had insisted she wears in inside since he didn't have an umbrella. After many attempts to refuse she finally accepted it.

A small smile appeared on her face. She shook her head.

"Girl..."

She slipped her shoes off and walked toward her bedroom, but halfway there, she stopped.

She looked down at the hoodie again.

It was oversized on her, the sleeves covering part of her hands. It was warm, and the faint scent of his cologne was still on it.

Amber pulled the sleeve toward her face without even thinking.

She immediately laughed at herself.

"What am I doing?"

She tossed her purse onto her bed and walked into the bathroom.

After changing out of her work clothes, she came back into her room and sat on the edge of the bed.

Her mind immediately went back to the ride home.

The blue lights inside his car. The music playing softly. The way he noticed she was cold without her having to say much. The way he had looked at her at the stoplight.

Amber covered her face with both hands.

"Girl, get a grip."

She dropped her hands and laughed. She had only met this man a couple of times. There was no reason for her to be sitting in her room smiling like this.

Her phone suddenly buzzed.

Amber glanced down.

For a second, she assumed it was one of her friends.

Then she saw the message.

"You make it inside okay?"

Amber smiled. She knew exactly who it was. She was surprised when KJ asked for her number but didn't think too much of it.

She stared at the message for a few seconds before responding.

Amber:

Yeah lol. I just got inside.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

KJ:

Good.

Amber smiled at the screen.

She didn't know why such a simple conversation was making her nervous.

She typed another message.

Amber:

And thank you again for walking me to the porch. You really didn't have to do that.

His response came a few seconds later.

KJ:

"My Pleasure."

She put her phone down for a second and shook her head.

"Oh, okay..."

She picked it back up.

Amber:

"Did you make it back home?"

KJ:

"Yeah. Just got in."

Amber looked at the time.

It wasn't that late, she didn't have work the next morning so she could stay up and drink a cut water or two while finishing her walking dead series.

Amber leaned back against her pillows.

She felt more comfortable talking to him over text than she had expected. Maybe because she didn't have to worry about him looking directly at her. She could take her time with her responses. She could hide her smile. She could pretend she wasn't getting butterflies every time his name appeared on her screen.

A few minutes passed before another message came through.

Amber smiled.

She had a feeling he was genuinely interested in getting to know her.

Amber placed the phone against her chest for a second. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this excited talking to someone she'd just met.

By the conversation, They were going to see each other again.

And somehow, knowing that made her even more excited about her behind the wheel test tomorrow. She checked the time.

11:48 p.m.

"Oh my God."

Amber stared at the ceiling.

She thought about the day.

The storm.

Work.

Lindsey's episode.

Simone offering to have KJ take her home.

The car ride.

The stoplight.

His hoodie.

His number.

And now this.

She reached over and picked up the hoodie sleeve again.

That same faint scent of his cologne was still there.

Amber smiled to herself.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.